5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Depression Glass.

1. VERY HAPPY WITH THE DETAILS AND INFORMATION ABOUT DEPRESSION GLASS. I HAVE ABOUT 300 PIECES AND AM NOW ABLE TO IDENTIFY MORE OF MY COLLECTION.



2. anyone interested in finding out what they have or what to look for, as far as depression glass or collectible glass, Gene Florance is the person to look for. I've got most editions of his books. and my parents also swore by his books. every edition has a little something extra, different or new. easy to follow and excellent pictures!



3. A must have book for begining collectors of depression glass -- good pricing - if you don't buy on e-bay - if you go to the glass shows gives you fair prices for most items -- e-bay buyers - GOOD LUCK, most everything is WAY, way over the value of the item you want.



4. Best book out there for dealers of depression glass, but they forgot a usable index or table of contents. To make matters worse, some patterns are alphabetized as No. ###. No index of alternate names (some patterns have 3 or 4 commonly used names). The table of contents is the same as the alphabetical listing by page, totally useless. The official company name is the pattern name it is ordered under, regardless of the popularity of other names.
   
   Pictures are great. Many prices have been reduced in this 2007 version, bringing pricing into line with what you should pay/charge. Common pieces (cups, small plates, etc.) can be got on eBay for about 1/2, but more in demand pieces (cereal bowls, dinner plates, serving pieces, tumblers) go for just about what is in the book. Verbiage for patterns normally indicates the marketability of the pattern, but wish there was a prominent "popularity score" above each color the pattern comes in. Some colors in some patterns have absolutely no buyers, which is an extremely valuable piece of information. Would recommend using --,-,+,++.
   
   They use a purist definition of depression, so you'll have to also buy the 40s 50s 60s book to complete your reference of what is commonly known as depression glass. There are pictures for about 1/2 of the pieces available, and generally a larger closeup for pattern identification. Success of pattern identification is probably 95% (best we've seen).



5. Like many people who collect depression glass, I stumbled into it while breaking up housekeeping in my grandmother's house last summer. As we went through her cabinets and packed up the things she couldn't take to her assisted living facility, I found numerous pieces of pretty colored glass that I took simply because I enjoyed the various colors and patterns. When my mom suggested that some of it was depression-era glass, I went to the library and found a previous edition of the Florence's book and went nuts when I saw what these pieces were worth. My grandma did too! Later that fall, the book was indispensible when we were cleaning out my great-grandmother's house to put it up for auction. I found 5 large boxes full of glass. This book was very useful in helping catagorize what I had, and how much to insure all of it for.
   
   This edition of the book is great because of it's photographs of each pattern. It makes it very easy to identify a lot of pieces just on sight. It also contains extremely useful information on reproductions which is fantastic to have when looking for glass, particularily at flea markets, estate sales and online where a lot of people mislabel patterns. The pricing is also helpful so you can see when people are simply trying to make a huge profit, rather than asking a reasonable amount.
   
   The reason I only gave this book 4 stars, though, is because there are many patterns that are not included in this edition. In the foreward, it's stated that not all patterns are contained because it would cause the price of the book to increase. However, by excluding several patterns, you are forced to purchase another book which means spending more money as well. The book is also difficult to bring along to antique stores because of it's size--most stores won't let you bring in a large purse or bag. But overall, if you are a new collector or looking to become one, this is an important book to have in your library.

5 comments about Anchor Hocking's Fire-King & More: Identification & Value Guide, Including Early American Prescut And Wexford (Anchor Hocking's Fire-King and More).

1. The book has a lot of beautiful pictures.It is a good book to know about Fire King items, however I found the price on the book is lower than the one that I see at antique stores these days.



2. This book was very informative. It has wonderful pictures and is a must for any Fire King collector.



3. I recently started collecting Jadite. I found this book to be a valuable resource. Great photos. Good price guide and full of valuable information.



4. This is a great resource for any new collector of Anchor Hocking. I find myself fasinated with this book and it's contents.



5. I HAVE FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE VERY HELPFUL IN IDENTIFING DIFFERENT PIECES OF GLASS.

5 comments about Florence's Glassware Pattern Identification Guide: Easy Identification for Glassware from the 1920s Through the 1960s.

1. Was a good book, but if you already have guide 1,2, or 3 it was mostly repeats with different picture views. If this is your first guide it is a great one!!



2. For a collector, this book lacks many of the patterns, needed to know, in pricing a product. Some of the patterns pictured are not defined enough. A
   magnifying glass may be needed for a closer look. For beginners, it is a respected book, written by two experts.



3. I was a bit disappointed in this book mainly because of the way in which it was set up. I am used to their other books such as: "Collectible Glassware from the 40s, 50, 60s". I didn't find it as easy to navigate. The pictures are great though.



4. The book was very helpful, great photos, nicely laid out. Buyers should definately know, however, that it is a book of more rare pieces.



5. The drawings and pictures were so helpful when I was trying to identify glassware. It's a keeper.

5 comments about Sea Glass Chronicles.

1. Considering there was only one other book on sea glass that I knew of, I absolutely HAD to have another-being the avid sea glass fan that I am. However, upon receiving the book, I was greatly unimpressed with not only the images, but also the lack of magnificent specimens. The book tells more about ceramic shards than it does actual glass. In my opinion, I find actual glass to be much more attractive than any kind of pottery shard.
   
   Furthermore, the book had hardly any information on where to find glass, how to look for it, or even when to go and look... absolutely nothing about actually collecting. Or what about the weathering process of the shards? Nope. I was very disappointed in the lack of information. For those craving explanations of the possible origins, when and where to find glass, and just general information regarding anything one can think of about sea glass, get the book Pure Sea Glass. It's an amazing reference whenever I come home with new and interesting pieces.



2. Last night I opened Sea Glass Chronicles to read a few pages, but found I couldn't put it down! This lovely book is a treasure, just like the "treasures" it describes in each chapter. After a few pages, I realized that Pat Hanbery's photographs were amazing as well! Enjoyable on several levels, it's a "coffee table" book that any age would enjoy simply for the browsing, but the writing and research by C.S. Lambert will take you much, much deeper into this hobby enjoyed by nearly everyone: beachcombing! It is an educational trip through the archaeology of beach glass, pottery, and doll fragments, caught in time before they were all altered by water's relentless task of reducing them into sand particles on a beach. Although there is a great deal of information, it is presented in quickly-readable short stories. This is a real "keeper" as well as a good gift idea.



3. so much information about seaglass...
   and the photos allow you to compare what you have already found or looking for.



4. 
   
   Fabulous book for anyone who loves beachcombing and collecting sea treasures - highly recommended!



5. Nice book with some pretty pictures but does not really contain much useful information about sea glass. The book "Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems" contains much more information about the possible origins of sea glass for the novice collector.

5 comments about 390 Traditional Stained Glass Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. The cover gives 14 color examples. The 78 pages are packed with
   an average of 8 black and white outlines to a page.
   This is a lot of ideas but would be challenging to enlarge for
   pattern making. A limited range of symetric styles are divided
   into four groups.



2. This book is not my cup of tea, but it's great for someone who's looking for a design from a certain era. The book is broken down by the different eras or styles: Victorian Geometric, Art Nouveau, Victorian Floral, Edwardian, and 1920's. All the designs have a lot of horizontal and vertical lines in them. Also, it's all in black and white so you have to use your imagination to color it. The back of the front cover and back cover has examples in color.



3. This is an excellent resource book for stained glass artisans. It has a variety of styles and eras in easy to duplicate drawings. Projects range from easy to intricate, designs (in some instances) can be mixed and matched.
   
   Dover has a good selection of stained glass books which provide wonderful references to many and varied types of stained glass design.



4. I've been looking for ideas for simple patterns; this book helped me a lot!



5. This book is great for traditional patterns, specially for the ones from Great Bretain. It shows different types of patterns depending on the period of influence, like Edwardian, Art Deco and others. I wished the patterns showed some color!!!!

2 comments about Bud Hastin's Avon Collector's Encyclopedia: Avon and California Perfume Company Products-1886 to Present.

1. Both specialty collector libraries catering to neo-pro collectors and general-interest public libraries will find AVON COLLECTOR'S ENCYCLOPEDIA: AVON AND CALIFORNIA PERFUME COMPANY PRODUCTS 1886 TO PRESENT an invaluable acquisition, appearing in its 18th updated edition to provide the latest prices and details. Here are thousands of products, paired with the latest prices, black and white and color photos throughout, making for an invaluable at-a-glance reference.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. I BOUGHT THIS BOOK HOPING TO IDENTIFY ALOT OF OLDER AVON I HAD FOUND..THE BOOK IS GREAT..GOOD DESCRIPTION OF OLDER AVON PRODUCTS AND EASY TO USE ..THANKS

1 comments about Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide.

1. Among the legions of racing fans that frequent such thoroughbred races as the Preakness, Belmont, and the Breeder's Cup, are those for whom their enthusiasm for the sport leads them to collect various kinds and categories of racing memorabilia. Now in an expanded and updated fourth edition, the "Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide", compiled by Judy Marchman is a unique and superbly illustrated compendium focusing on all of the Kentucky Derby glasses and shot glasses, as well as other rare and valuable glasses associated with professional horse racing. Organized chronologically by year, each color illustrated example also cites its price as a collectible. Ideal for novice collectors just starting out, and an informed reference for dealers and established collectors, "Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide" is an ideal and prized addition to personal, professional, and community library Antiques & Collectibles collections.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

3 comments about Collectible Glassware from the 40s, 50s and 60s (Collectible Glassware from the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties).

1. This guide was great if you don't have any other volumes. The pricing so far seems to be very accurate to the market. If you have another earlier edition of 40's 50's 60's there are not very many new patterns in the book. Great photo reference.



2. Gene Florance is, I think, the best person to go by, when it comes to depression glass and collectible glassware. his books are like the bible to me.
   one of the best things about Gene's books, they are easy to follow and the pictures are AWESOME! I'm a better person to compare pictures than try to read what someone is telling me. so thats why, I dont leave home without him/it!



3. I always find gene florence book the most helpful for research. I did find somethings that where discontinued I would have liked referenced. I still rely on his resources.

5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Milk Glass.

1. I needed a picture book with decriptions. I got that and a history on each kind of milk glass. I think I'll keep this one.



2. Good resource for exceptional pieces, but it's not organized well, and does not cover most everyday pieces. Values are over-inflated, especially for what milk glass is selling for online.



3. I pick up a lot of milk glass in thrift stores and was hoping this book would help me identify some of the pieces. Unfortunately, most of the items in this book have long been unattainable to the casual collector. The informational section was too short and poorly researched, and the author virtually ignored contemporary milk glass from makers like E.O. Brody, Anchor Hocking and Avon (only a few of Avon's dozens of milk glass pieces were featured).
   
   If you want a book about milk glass from 1950 to present, this isn't it. Hopefully someone will realize the need for a book that covers "common" milk glass, which is getting harder to find and will ultimately be tomorrow's collectibles.



4. This book helped me identify unmarked pieces of milk glass with its extensive display of pictures and patterns. The book is fairly organized and covers many manufacturers that are not so well known.

   The only drawback was some pictures were not clear enough to carefully identify a pattern. This is only constructive criticism and should not keep you from using this book as part of a reference and identification guide for fine pieces of milk glass.




5. I picked up the latest edition of this book recently and learned alot in just a few glances. I have been collecting this wonderful form of glass along with Depression Glass and Art Glass for quite awhile, and have accumulated several books on the subject (see my other reviews).This one, unlike some others, has not disappointed me at all. There are wonderful pictures and lots of information. I do prefer price values to appear on the same page with the item and the maker/pattern. I would say that is the only fault here, and perhaps some more commonly found pieces would be helpful to know about too.Still, this is a must for anyone interested in Milk Glass and it's origins, plus information on some of the better pieces to be looking for. I personally enjoy seeing my pieces appear in books, as several are in this volume. Nothing like pointing to a page and saying "I have THAT TOO!!" That said, this book is well worth a spot in your glass reference library.

2 comments about 20th Century Glass (Dk Collector's Guides).

1. A very good selection of designers and examples. I miss more elaborate explanations about the technics used in glass production. Images are in very good quality and the colors are vivid and beutifull. Very recomended for an overall study of 20th. century glass art.



2. I think this may well become the standard reference guide for glass collectors. Beautifully designed, accessible and I thought very comprehensive in its coverage. Starting with blown and cased glass then pressed and moulded, iridescent, enamelled, painted, stained, engraved and finally cut glass. Each of these sections is broken down into national styles, for instance, the Scandinavian section of blown and cased glass covers Kosta Boda, Orrefors, Holmegaard, Riihimaki and Karhula-Iittala. All the glass shown has a caption that includes a dimension and price guide. The back of the book includes a glossary, dealer and museum addresses and that all-important index.
   
   A particularly interesting chapter is the last one, contemporary and studio glass. Eighty-two artists are featured with one or two examples of their work. This is beautiful fine art glass and with some items it is hard to believe that they are made out of such a brittle substance. Predictably, there is not much in this section costing less than a thousand dollars.
   
   I think it is worth commenting on the presentation. All the pages are very cleanly designed with typographic clarity for the main text, captions, key dates and designer information. The photos (over a 1,100) are presented as cutouts and almost jump off the page, all this glass looks just stunning.
   
   BTW. The main US publishers of collector's books should study '20th-Century Glass', this is what highly visual titles should look like!
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.